I lived with some friends between 2007 and 2008 in a small apartment above a club called TJ’s in Newport, Wales. We didn’t have to pay rent. Instead, we ran errands for the owner of the club, a man named John Sicolo, who occupied the apartment below us. This included anything from re-painting the front of the club to knocking down toilets. It was a great year.
All things must come to an end however, and John finally kicked us out. Since we kept frequenting the club, we stayed on good terms. One day he confessed that he kicked us out because he was worried that if we kept staying there, we would never get on with our lives.
Sadly, the club has since shut down and John Sicolo has passed away.
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